UPD: According to UNIAN, Kirillov was eliminated by the Security Service of Ukraine, as reported to the publication by its own sources in the special services. «Kirillov was a war criminal and an absolutely legitimate target, as he gave orders to use prohibited chemical weapons against Ukrainian military. Such an inglorious end awaits all those who kill Ukrainians. Retribution for war crimes is inevitable», — an informed source in the SBU reported.
The explosion occurred on Ryazansky Avenue, one of the deceased — Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, he led the radiation, chemical, and biological protection forces, the second — his driver, report Baza and Mash.
According to Baza, an improvised explosive device could have been attached to the handlebar of a scooter that was standing at the entrance of a residential building. The blast wave shattered windows from the first to the fourth floor and tore off the entrance door. Three nearby cars were also damaged.
Preliminary data suggests that the IED contained 200 grams of TNT, and it was detonated remotely.
The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case and appointed medical and explosive technical examinations.
Kirillov held the position of head of the RHB protection forces of the Russian Armed Forces since 2017. He participated in the Russian operation in Syria. State media also wrote that Kirillov was involved in the creation and deployment of the Russian flamethrower system TOS-2 «Tosochka», capable of using thermobaric munitions. In May 2022, TASS reported that TOS-2 systems were used in the war against Ukraine and were employed in the Kharkiv direction.
On December 16, a day before the murder, the Security Service of Ukraine published a statement accusing Kirillov of using chemical weapons on the eastern and southern fronts of hostilities, noting that 4800 cases of chemical munitions use were recorded.
In 2023, Kirillov conducted briefings for the Ministry of Defense in 2023, where he spoke about planned terrorist attacks on Russian territory. He repeatedly claimed about US-supervised «biolabs» in Ukraine, infected mosquitoes, and also reported on Ukraine's preparation of a «dirty bomb».
In October, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions against Kirillov and the RHBZ forces due to numerous reports of the use of toxic choking agent chloropicrin on the battlefield.
Photo: Reuters